Grenade event in Rivne, Verba area, Ukraine on Wed 29th April 2026

The defendant faces up to 15 years in prison. He is currently in a temporary detention center.

The incident occurred on April 29 at around 4:40 p.m. A 48-year-old local resident, riding his bicycle, saw a police vehicle that had stopped to check his documents.

At that moment, three soldiers began to get out of the car, and a community police officer was inside. The attacker took out a machine gun and fired more than 20 shots: first into the ground, and then into the car. After that, he fled.

A soldier and a police officer were injured in the shooting. Both were hospitalized.

A special police operation was immediately launched in the region. In less than an hour, law enforcement officers identified the attacker - he turned out to be a 48-year-old resident of the same village, who has been in the status of a foreigner for a year and a half.

The entire personnel of the regional police, SBU officers, and regional USR officers were immediately directed to search for the attacker.

KORD fighters examined abandoned buildings, dog handlers combed forests, and patrol officers checked vehicles. Drones with thermal imaging cameras were also used in the search.

In less than a day, the attacker was discovered in the basement of an abandoned building in the village of Verba, where he was hiding.

During the search, an AK-12 assault rifle, three magazines, a silencer, almost 500 rounds of ammunition, an RGD-5 grenade with a fuse, and camouflage clothing were seized.

The person in question was reported as being suspected of:

* Part 2 of Article 15, Subsection 1, Part 8 of Article 2 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (attempted murder of two or more persons in connection with the performance of their official duties),

* Part 4 of Article 408 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (desertion under martial law).

A pre-trial investigation under Part 1 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal handling of weapons) is also ongoing.

The issue of choosing a preventive measure is currently being decided.